Post COVID-19 Lockdown Travel 2020 (Memorial Day & 4th of July & Vegas Party Extended Weekend Trip)

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Memorial Day Weekend
VIRGINIA CITY, NV   |   RENO, NV   |   CARSON CITY, NV


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After over two months of the COVID-19 lockdowns, Joy and I ventured out to Virginia City, Nevada for Memorial Day Weekend in my new 2020 GMC Terrain company car.  Onstar and the navigation guided us there well!

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I had been to Virginia City last in 2009, but my wife had never been there.  Virginia City is an old western town which is popular with tourists.

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Virginia City is in Storey County which is a rural county east of where Reno is.

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Storey County is a conservative area also.  I loved seeing all the Trump flags and signs there!

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I bought these old gas company metal wall decorations for my garage in Virginia City.  I love Big Oil!

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When we were going through an antique store in Virginia City, I spotted this gem!  Juan "Going Going Gone" Gonzalez was one of my favorite Rangers players growing up.

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Joy and I stayed at the Hampton Inn by Sparks Marina.  Note how long my hair was due to salons being shutdown in California.  I got my first post-Covid hair cut in Carson City on this trip!  LOL.

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The Hampton Inn upgraded me to a suite since I am a Diamond member still for HHonors.

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The suite was quite large.

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There were lots of changes post-Covid with Hilton properties.  They did not have the usual Diamond member snacks, but we were able to pick out stuff in their lobby store.  Breakfast was not the usual buffet style either.

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This is a beautiful sunset over Sparks Marina.  Joy and I enjoyed a nice dinner at Red Robin that night which was our first real meal dining in post-Covid.  We also hung out with some friends in Reno that night.

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We enjoyed one of Reno's all you can eat sushi places for lunch the next day.  The servers had to wear a mask, but we were not forced to wear one.

    The mandatory lockdowns of the Covid-19 pandemic in the US were harsh!  Not only were we forced to work from home during the time from the middle of March till well into the summer in some states, our usual busy travel plans came to a halt!  After months of being cooped up at home and not being able to get a hair cut or dine out, Joy and I decided to start our post-Covid travels on Memorial Day weekend.  Nevada had opened up dining in restaurants and salons too.  So, we decided to try to Virginia City in Storey County before spending the night in Reno to have a dinner inside a restaurant finally after the barbaric third world style lockdowns imposed by California's tyrant governor.  We also got to hang out with our friends up in Reno which was really nice.

    Keep in mind that Joy and I had business class tickets on Aeromexico to go to Colombia for this week, but the trip was cancelled due to Covid-19.  We were super bummed about that, but we were still happy to leave Sacramento for a few days and live like human beings again.

    My new company car, a 2020 GMC Terrain, was ready for a road trip.  I was able to pick it up at the dealer during the Covid lockdowns, and it was fully loaded!  The company paid for the navigation system, and it came with a trial of Onstar too.  So, I just had to push the Onstar button and the live attendant would route directions to my car's navigation system.  It was pretty slick.  We drove out to Virginia City in comfort in this large SUV.  My company allowed us to use the company car with the free gas that we normally get even though we were working from home at this point.

    Once we arrived in Reno, we were able to breathe a sigh of relief.  The people were more relaxed with everything.  Stores and malls were even open for us to go inside and shop like normal human beings.  Restaurants served food indoors instead of having to order the food through Doordash or Grubhub.  California was so third world during Covid-19 that many of the finer things in life like the pods for our Starbucks Verismo machine or the flavored syrups were unavailable since the stores were fully closed or not even doing curbside pick up.  I was able to get my Nespresso pods shipped to us.  I was able to buy the Starbucks syrup at a Bed Bath and Beyond in Reno and pick it up via the curbside pick up.

    After getting the syrup, we headed out to Virginia City.  It is a short drive from Reno to this old west town in the hills of Storey County.  We loved Virginia City.  The place is normally super packed, but we got parking easily since it was still not as busy as it normally.  I loved how people were walking around without masks and not socially distancing like barbarians.  They even served alcohol indoors in bars!  I know.  We were quite deprived in California during the Covid-19 Pandemic because of California's idiot Governor.  Virginia City has nice antique shops too.  I was able to find a really cool Starter figure of Texas Rangers star player Juan Gonzalez from 1998.  We also enjoyed some huckleberry ice cream.  The people in Storey County are also very conservative.  I liked seeing people open carry their firearms.  We also saw lots of Trump flags and supporters all over the town.  I even got a MAGA hat for my buddy and me.  Joy and I enjoyed a drink in a bar too!  For the most part, I think this pandemic was exaggerated by the left to hurt our President.  Does Covid-19 exist?  Yes.  Is it as bad as the left made it out to be?  No!

    After Virginia City, we checked into our hotel at the Sparks Marina.  The Hampton Inn did not have the usual display of snacks for Diamond and Gold guests in the lobby due to the pandemic.  They did offer us some snacks from the lobby store for free.  The hotel gym was available by appointment for only one guest at a time.  I also able to finally work out on an elliptical again since my gyms were closed since the middle of March.  We were upgraded to a nice suite however since I am still a Diamond guest.  Hilton did extend my status until 2022 so that was cool. 

    Joy and I enjoyed dining in at Red Robin.  It was over a month since Joy and I were able to dine in.  That night, we hung out with our friends in Reno at their house.  They had a nice fire going in the backyard, and we had plenty of good adult beverages.  It was nice to be able to socialize again with friends.

    The next morning, we experienced the crappy "new normal" of the Hampton breakfast.  I hate that word, "new normal."  No, we must go back to the "old normal."  The breakfast was just basicly some cereal bars.  It was crap!  I am disgusted at how hotels were able to use this pandemic to lower the quality!  We did get to go to the All You Can Eat Sushi place in Reno for lunch.  That was a nice treat.  Afterwards, we hung out with some more friends in Reno.  That evening, we stayed in Carson City at the Hampton Inn there since I had a hair appointment on Tuesday.

    I enjoyed finally being able to get a haircut the next morning.  The Supercuts was only open by appointment, and there would only be one person in the salon at any given time besides the stylist.  Afterwards, I did enjoy being able to get some Dutch Bros coffee too through the drive through.  We stopped at visited with my friend's parents in Minden before driving back to California.

4th Of July Weekend
LAS VEGAS, NV   |   ST. GEORGE, UTAH   |   GRAND CANYON, NORTH RIM   |   ST. GEORGE, UTAH   |   LAS VEGAS, NV

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The masked bandit?  What is going on here!  Airlines required passengers to wear a mask post-Covid lockdowns.  It was uncomfortable, but I was able to remove it during eating or drinking on Southwest.

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The passengers were also spaced out on Southwest Airlines with no "middle seats."  Joy and I had a seat in between us, but passengers traveling together could sit next to each other if they wanted to.

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Here is a nice picture of Las Vegas in the background as we landed at McCarren International Airport.

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We got to see this happy baby (toddler now) when we arrived into Las Vegas!  My nephew is very adorable!

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Joy and I enjoyed lunch at 8 Noodle Bar at Red Rock Resort & Casino.  They checked our temperature and made us wear a mask inside.  The cocktail waitress is even wearing a mask in this picture.  LOL.

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The food was amazing at 8 Noodle Bar.  The duck bao was delicious!

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After shopping at the Las Vegas Premium Outlets, we got more time with the little guy.  I built him that "Presidential Palace" complete with security detail.

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Joy and I headed out to St. George, Utah the next day where we spent the night.  This is a great view of the city from the Cliffside Restaurant where we had dinner.

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Joy and I are enjoying our date night in St. George, Utah.  Utah did not require a mask for public areas.

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My starter was the butternut squash soup!  It was so delicious!

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I ordered the filet mignon for my main course.

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We drove by Nielsen's Frozen Custard on the way to dinner so we skipped dessert at the restaurant for this tasty place!

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This frozen custard "concrete" tasted like a Girl Scout's Samoa Cookie!  It was so tasty!

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We had some nice dessert scenery en route to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon the next day.

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This was an "old west" town model that was created at a gas station by an Indian Reservation in Northern Arizona.

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We are about to enter the Grand Canyon's North Rim here.  The park was only open for day use due to Covid-19.

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The views of the Grand Canyon were amazing!

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The North Rim is higher than the South Rim so it was like we were looking "down" onto the South Rim.

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I am taking in the view here but still not too close to the railing as I am afraid of heights.  LOL.

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Joy and I are enjoying the views together.

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We brought our lunch in from Subway since the visitor center and lodge were still closed.  There were nice rocking chairs where we were able to enjoy our lunch and take in the views too.

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We drove around the scenic route along the western side of the Grand Canyon too.

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This large hole in the rock is called Angel's Window.  One can see the Colorado River through it.

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Here is a nice view from the area by Angel's Window.

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Joy and I enjoyed our day at the Grand Canyon a lot!  The weather was nice too!

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We stopped at Jacob's Lake for some delicious cookies!

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Jacob's Lake also has great thick milk shakes!

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We returned to St. George that night and stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn.  This hotel had the new Hilton "CleanStay" seals on the door.

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I was able to watch the 4th of July Fireworks from the pool area at the hotel.

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The next morning, I enjoyed a massage after like four months at Massage Envy.  The therapist did not make me wear a mask during the service which was nice.

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We checked into the Flamingo Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas when we returned back to Sin City.  The room had a seal on it too.

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I like staying at the retro Vegas properties for that old nostalgic feeling.  LOL.

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This was our view from the room at Flamingo.  The ferris wheel is called the High Roller.

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My lovely wife showing off one of the many dresses she bought online during the lockdown at Bellagio.

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This was the walkway from the Cosmo to Aria.

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Joy and I enjoyed dinner at one of Las Vegas' finest restaurants, Catch at Aria.

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The entry to Catch is amazing.

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Here is the famous Catch photo spot.  They did not want us to take our masks off until we got to the table, but we insisted.  Come on!  I dropped close to $300 that night so we are entitled to take a good picture!

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Catch had us scan the barcode on our phones to get the menu since restaurants were asked to not provide printed out menus unless they were disposable due to Covid-19.

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This is the best Manhattan that I ever had!

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Joy and I look good!

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This was the grilled Spanish octopus and one of the famous sushi rolls.

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The dessert was called "Hit Me" since there was a Klondike bar on top that one hits to release the melted ice cream onto the amazing dessert!

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Joy is posing by a large stiletto at Cosmo.

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We enjoyed a night cap at the Bugsy & Meyers Steakhouse Bar at the Flamingo.  There was no mask requirement at the bar!  Screw masks!

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Joy and I enjoyed brunch at the famous Hash Hash A Go Go the next day!  Look at the size of my pancake!

    Joy and I got back in the air for the 4th of July holiday.  My company gave us Thursday and Friday off that week since the 4th was on a Saturday in 2020.  I also took the following Monday off to get a nice break from my "work from home" time.  Travel was very odd now.  The idiot Governor of California mandated that everyone wear a mask indoors so airports required the annoying masks too.  Southwest Airlines required all passengers to wear the mask too unless one was actively eating or drinking.  So, I got a large Bai at the airport so I could keep my mask off as long as possible to drink my beverage.  Unfortunately, Southwest only was serving water and a snack mix.  There were no sodas or alcohol served post-Covid.  The middle seats were technically closed off too.  Instead of the usual 180 or so passengers, Southwest was carrying about 120 passengers now.  Couples or families traveling together could sit next to each other.

    Upon arrival into Vegas and taking the shuttle to the rental car center, I was so pissed off that Budget's Fastbreak counter was closed.  We had to wait in line with the "common folks" to get our car.  I bitched to the lady at the counter, and she did upgrade us for free.  Afterwards, we drove off to my brother's gated community to spend the night with them and visit with my adorable nephew.  He was full of energy, and it was cool to play with his Duplo blocks.  Joy and I had a lot of gifts for him since we were not able to go down to Las Vegas during his birthday due to the pandemic.

    The next day, Joy and I enjoyed a great lunch at the Red Rock Resort and Casino.  It was so weird going into a casino now.  The guard did a temperature check on us before handing us a mask which was requied indoors.  Smoking was still permitted so that made no sense since I thought this Covid thing was airborne??  After lunch, we enjoyed some dessert and drinks at the Cafe Gabi where we went during our Christmas break last year.

    Since I was pissed off at California's Governor for making us wear dumb masks to go shopping, I decided to give my tax revenue to Nevada even though they had a nutjob who also mandated the masks.  However, Las Vegas has better stores than the ghetto ass Sacramento area.  Our first stop was Vineyard Vines where I found the exact shirt that I wanted.  Afterwards, I got a really cool t-shirt at Scotch & Soda.  Moreover, I got a pink Lacoste Polo that I wanted too.  I stick the middle finger to Gavin Newsom!  Fuck you for making us suffer in Californai!  You do not get my tax revenue bastard!

    Joy and I got the spend the rest of the day and night with my nephew.  I built Aakash a "Presidential Palace" with his Duplos and had a limo too for the "President."  LOL.  My nephew was really warming up to me since my brother thought I was probably just a "big kid" since I like to play with toys too sometimes.  LOL.

    The next day, Joy and I headed out to St. George, Utah.  We decided to spend the night there for two nights so we could do a day trip to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.  After checking into the Hampton Inn, we went shopping at the little outlet mall near the hotel.  For dinner, I made reservations at the Cliffside Restaurant which is on a hill overlooking the city.  Indoor dining was available, but we had a nice outdoor table with a great view of the city.  The food was delicious!  We decided to save dessert for Nielsen's Frozen Custard stand.  That was a great decision as I loved their frozen custard!

    We headed out to Northern Arizona the next day to go to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.  The North Rim was closed for a few weeks prior to our visit due to a large wildfire.  The park had just reopened for day use only.  The ranger would not collect the $35 entrance fee from us either.  He asked us to use the automated machine to pay our $35 on the honor system.  We did since it is wrong to steal.  The liberals think it is OK to steal from those of us with money and redistribute it like those Antifa protesters, but Joy and I believe in law and order!  The views of the Grand Canyon from the visitor center area were amazing.  The North Rim is higher than the South Rim so there is more vegetation also as the area gets more rain and snow.  During the winter, the North Rim is closed due to heavy snow!  We drove around the scenic west side of the park also and got more amazing views of the area.

    After touring the park, we returned to St. George and stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn.  This Hilton property had the "cleanseal" stickers on the door to prove that no one entered the room since it was cleaned.  The City of St. George had fireworks that night, and we were able to watch them from the hotel which was nice so we did not have to drive more that day.  Most of California was banned from having fireworks so we were happy to be among patriots in Utah who still wanted to celebrate our nation's independence!

    We returned to Las Vegas the next day to finish out this trip.  Since I had reservations for dinner at Catch at Aria, we decided to stay on the Strip and not go back to my brother's house.  I like staying at the retro resorts in Vegas in addition to the newer properties.  This time, I booked the Flamingo which was once known as the Flamingo Hilton.  The Las Vegas Casino Resorts got rid of valet parking temporarily due to the pandemic, but the Flamingo had their valet open for the holiday weekend.  As a result, I was able to have the valet take the car and have the bell staff take our luggage.  This stay at the Flamingo was pretty inexpensive and included a $25 dining credit at the pool or at one of the coffee shops on site.  After checking into our room, we walked around the property which had a nice outdoor area with pink flamingos.  The pool was only open by reservation.  From what I heard some guests checked into the app in the morning for the pool and did not get called until around the time the pool was closing.  That was a bummer, but we were looking forward to our gourmet dinner at Catch.

    After getting all dressed up, Joy and I walked over to the Aria from Flamingo via Bellagio and Cosmopolitan.  After arriving at Catch, we were amazed at the beautiful entry.  The casino properties all required face masks to be worn, and they had guards passing them out as one entered the resorts.  We just kept replacing our disposable masks at each casino along the way to make sure there was no bacteria on them.  I think the masks can get one sicker due to that bacteria that is being sucked in everytime one breathes through the mask.  Catch required the mask also until we were seated at the table, but Joy and I took it off for some photo opportunities in their amazing entryway.  They did not have printed out menus either.  Catch had barcodes that one could scan with their phone to show the menu.

    The original Catch is in Los Angeles, and the Executive Chef at the Las Vegas location is a friend of my friend.  Later on, we found out that if he knew we were there he would have come out and greeted us personally and hooked us up with some additional plates.  The food is served like tapas.  I started off with a Japanese whiskey before getting the best Manhattan that I ever had!  We ordered a lot of the small plates including the three primary sushi rolls, filet mignon skewers, and the grilled Spanish Octopus.  Every item was amazing!  Their sushi was very fresh also.  For dessert, we got the #HitMe which has multiple layers of cake and ice cream with a Klondike bar on top that one "hits" to allow the melted ice cream to pour over the dessert.  We loved it!

    That night, we enjoyed a night cap at the Bugsy & Meyers Steakhouse bar at the Flamingo.  Our bartender was really friendly, and he was also against all the lockdowns in California and Nevada.  We all agreed how hypocritcal the California Governor was for shutting down indoor dining while leaving his own wineries open.  This shows how the left is really playing the American people!

    Joy and I enjoyed brunch at the famous Hash Hash A Go Go the next day.  Their portions are NOT small!  I loved my pancake that was the size of the plate!  Moreover, I got turkey sausage and eggs.  I got the mimosa in the souvenir glass also.  Joy and I flew home that evening after a nice break from the craziness of the People's Republic of California.

Vegas Party Extended Weekend (End Of July)
@ ARIA LAS VEGAS, NV

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I was happy to see that the Fastbreak counter was open at the airport in Las Vegas when I landed.  My car was ready for me so I avoided the long lines at the rental car counter!  Budget had modified the Fastbreak counter hours due to Covid-19.

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This is a nice picture I took of Aria as I drove into the resort.

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My room in post-Covid fashion had the seal on it.

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The curtains open automatically as one enters the rooms at Aria!  It was super cool!

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The room had a tablet that controled the curtains, TV, lighting, and climate control!

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There was some sort of kit waiting for me as I entered my room where the mini bar normally is.  The mini bar items were moved into the refrigerator.

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It appears as though they left me a "be safe" kit with reusable masks, hand sanitizer, and these things to press elevator buttons.  LOL.

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I had a nice view of the Las Vegas Strip from my room.

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A bunch of us from the party group hung out at the Lyft Bar when we got in.  I got a chicken sandwich at the Burger Lounge to prepare me for the drinking.  That is a triple Old Fashioned that my buddy got me.

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This cutie was our cocktail waitress.  She had to wear the mask however.  :(  I ordered an Eagle Rare over ice from her too.  I was already buzzed after my Old Fashioned so I gave her a hug.  LOL.

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After the Lyft Bar, we headed up to one of the rooms to pre-party.  They had a lot of alcohol there for us.

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We are all getting pretty wasted!

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There were lot of us celebrating my buddy's 40th birthday in Vegas that weekend!

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More drinks!  Yeah, we ordered wine with our dinner at Carmine's at the Forum Shops.  I was pretty much super drunk now!

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We found a bar on the way out of the Forum on our way to TI so we had to stop for another round.  LOL.

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We got Groupons for the long frozen drinks.  Normally, one needs to buy food with it because of the Covid orders by Nevada's Governor, but they were not enforcing.

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They even let us go up to the bar one by one to redeem our Groupons.  LOL.

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This is a night view from my room at Aria.  Planet Hollywood was still closed due to the pandemic!

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We had breakfast at Salt & Ivy the next morning.  These pancakes along with my OJ and iced Americano was $47!

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We reserved two cabanas at the Sky Pool that day.  Our cabana attendants are bringing us Fiji waters and sodas along with a bluetooth sound system.

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We are all chilling with our masks since that was the requirement even in the cabana, but we could take it off to eat, drink, or smoke.  LOL.

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This outdoor area was part of our private cabana space also.

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The misters felt great inside the cabana.

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We ordered the $70 Nacho Platter in addition to the $65 fruit tray and the $65 hummus tray.  LOL.  Vegas Cabanas add up!

    I went to Las Vegas without Joy towards the end of July to celebrate my buddy's 40th birthday.  There were about eighteen of us out there for the partying!  I do not have to write much since what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but lets just say there was a lot of drinking.  Moreover, I had to erase some Facebook posts.  It took me a while to remember some of the crazy stuff from that night, but it was a fun time overall.  I had to leave an extra tip for the maid too for obivious reasons.  LOL.  Despite the masks, we all still had a fun time and enjoyed our time in the cabanas also.  Joy should have been there to regulate my alcohol!  I also got to meet up with an old friend from high school and my brother too during this extended weekend.


Last Updated:  August 3, 2020 5:17 PM
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